Sarah Dixon has always loved drawing but it wasn’t until she was nearly 30 that she set up her own business to make the most of her artistic talent.

Now aged 33, Sarah lives in Stone with her husband Joe and creates personalised illustrations for a living through her company Greetings from Sarah.

Sarah said: “I’ve loved drawing ever since I can remember and would draw at every opportunity when I was younger, even when I was out with my parents. I went on to do illustration at university and landed a graphic design role afterwards.

“I guess I didn’t have the confidence to turn illustrations into a career until we moved to Staffordshire when Joe was offered a job here in September 2013. We had spent two years in Australia beforehand. I didn’t have a job and so thought it was a good time to get back to what I enjoyed while looking for work.

“Initially I wanted to design and make wedding stationery but it was too late in the year for that, so I looked into Christmas cards instead.”

Sarah, a self-confessed Christmas lover who starts listening to festive songs in September while working on her first Christmas orders, gave out Christmas cards in 2014 in the hope that people would then want to purchase them for 2015.

Sarah Dixon working on one of her many designs

She said: “I enjoyed drawing again so much that I officially set up my business in January 2014. It was a new venture so I was motivated and it was all really exciting, but it wasn’t until November 2014 when things started picking up.

“I was at a local printer to scan in my artwork when someone asked if I had a Facebook page as they loved my work. She shared it and people saw it and became interested in what I did. Shortly after that, someone from Gladstone Pottery Museum got in touch and asked me to take part in their 2014 Christmas Fair.

“I quickly said yes but didn’t have anything to sell, so I worked hard for weeks to get some designs together and it went so well that I started attending other fairs too.”

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“With anything I do, I like to focus on the people and build up an image around them. I ask for details to make it more personal, like specific outfits, favourite items or even backgrounds. It’s something that makes each painting so unique.”

Alongside wedding stationery, Sarah also offers cards, portraits and family trees. Everything is created in her home studio in Stone, where music is regularly played and her paint palette is an old plate.

She said: “My mum gave us a couple of old plates when we moved back to the UK, and I have since adopted one of them as my paint palette. I started using it and just haven’t stopped. it’s both cute and practical as it’s easy to wash clean.

Some of Sarah Dixon's work

“I also love going to gigs and even enjoy swing dancing so when working I often have music playing from my childhood CD player that dad found in his loft.

“I’d love to say my studio looks more like a Pinterest board, but it’s pretty basic and minimalist - apart from my mess,” she laughs.

“I sketch my artwork from photos that have been sent in and a proof is then shown to the customer, who can request any alterations at this point. Once this has been approved, I’ll paint them and send off the finished piece.

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“This can take anywhere from half a day to a day or two, depending on how many people are included, but wedding stationery is more involved and so takes more time.”

Prone to getting bored, Sarah states that this is the perfect job for her as it’s constantly changing.

She said: “I’ve always been restless in other jobs and can get bored easily but not with this one, it’s always different which makes it interesting. I also love hearing stories and background information that help make each painting personal.

“I get nervous about sharing my work though and when I send proofs I always wonder if they’ll like it, but I get really positive feedback which makes it worthwhile. I also get a lot of people coming back to me which is reassuring.

“There is no real template with what I do, so people can have whatever they want – within reason,” she adds with a smile.